From the Chef: Rice Vegas (Green Chile Rice)

I came up with this rice recipe and named it after the city. This rice recipe is a great side dish for the Chicken recipe in this week’s edition.

The rice and meat have about the same cooking and resting time, a total of about 25 minutes. While the chicken was cooking, I started the rice and just let it cook. The rice is super flavorful and very easy to make. Do not be afraid of cooking rice, it is not as hard as people say it is. Once you have it down, you will find ways to change up the spices, the flavorings, adding veggies for pilafs or simple white rice for asian dishes. If you have any questions, please email me and I will respond as quickly as I can! Enjoy!

Add in stock (or water and bouillon cubes) and salt if needed (taste for salt levels when adding stock. It should have good flavor and not be bland).

Bring to a boil, cover pan with tight lid, turn down heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and let rice sit for an additional 5 minutes. Do Not Remove the Lid until after the 5 minutes are up. Fluff up rice with a fork and stir to evenly distribute the green chilies.

Serve as a side dish for any meat or Spanish/Mexican meal, as part of a stuffing for peppers or tomatoes, cool it down and put in a mixed green salad, or even add it to chicken soup in place of noodles.

Mark Marques is a graduate of the New York Restaurant School in New York City. He graduated with Top Honors. Mark has several years of experience in the Restaurant industry starting when he was kid working at his parent’s Italian Restaurant, Ducci’s, in Colorado. After serving in the US Navy, Mark attended culinary school and went onto work in some of the busiest eateries in the New York City, including in the Lincoln Building, the Empire State Building, Times Square, the South Street Seaport and Pier 17. Mark has also run restaurants for Club Med as well in his current city of Las Vegas. Please feel free to contact Mark at this newspaper with any questions concerning food, liquor, beer, wines, and cooking tips.